Chapter Thirty-Three: The Perfect Debut of the Immortal Father

“Xixi, are you full?”
“Yes, I’m full, Daddy. Look, my tummy’s gotten this big!” Xixi replied with satisfaction, grinning from ear to ear.

Jiang An lifted Xixi onto his lap, carefully wiping each of her delicate little fingers clean. Then, quietly, he used his magic to refine any impurities from the fast food she’d eaten; after all, fast food was hardly the healthiest choice.

“Let Daddy give you a little massage; your tummy won’t feel so tight in a moment.”

Sure enough, before long, Xixi could feel the fullness in her belly ebb away as her father’s warm hand gently circled over her stomach. She clapped her hands in delight. “It’s true! Daddy, you’re amazing!”

After a short rest, Jiang An kept his promise and took Xixi to the indoor children’s playground in the mall.

The playground was bustling with noise and laughter; everywhere you looked, there were slides, ball pits, climbing walls—everything a child could want. Xixi was overjoyed, clinging to her father and pleading, “I want to play on that one, and that one! I want to play on all of them!”

He had brought her there to play, after all. Jiang An happily bought her a ticket and encouraged her to go in. Doing his best to play the role of a responsible father, he watched as the little girl’s face lit up with joy. He couldn’t stop smiling himself, his attention fixed on her to ensure nothing went wrong.

Nearly two hours later, when Xixi was exhausted, Jiang An picked her up and got ready to take her home to rest. But as they passed a row of claw machines, the little one perked up again. “Daddy, Daddy, I want a stuffed toy. Could you win one for me?”

Naturally, Jiang An had no reason to refuse. He walked over with her.

Five colorful claw machines stood side by side, each filled with different toys. These always drew a crowd, and at that moment, each machine was being played.

“A little to the left, a little more—ah, missed it!”
“Yes! I got it, don’t drop, don’t drop—oh, it fell again!”
“So close!”
…

One after another, people sighed in disappointment. Jiang An waited a bit, then asked, “Which one do you want, Xixi?”

“I want that puppy!” Xixi replied after studying the machines.

Jiang An led her over to the machine with the puppy toys. Just then, a chubby little boy around four or five and his mother had failed several times and were giving up. Jiang An stepped up, inserted a coin, and continued. The little boy, seeing this, tugged at his mother, refusing to leave—he wanted to see if this uncle would be as unlucky as they were.

Jiang An operated the machine with perfect composure, while Xixi was a bundle of nerves at his feet, her little face tense and fists clenched, cheering him on: “Go Daddy, you can do it!”

It was almost comical. With Jiang An on the job, how could he possibly fail?

Under his skilled hands, the claw grabbed the puppy by the head and began to lift it toward the prize chute. Anyone familiar with these machines knew the claws were designed to be weak and would often drop the toy before it reached the exit—but this time, the puppy seemed to cling tightly to the claw, gliding steadily into view under Xixi’s wide-eyed gaze. With a clatter, the toy dropped into the chute.

Xixi was ecstatic. “It came out! Daddy, you’re the best!” she shouted, hugging the puppy to her chest, her big eyes curving into crescent moons.

“Uncle, you’re amazing! You did it on the first try,” the chubby boy said admiringly, eyeing Xixi’s toy.

Though the praise was meant for Jiang An, Xixi was even more delighted than if it had been for herself. That’s how children are—they love to show off in front of others. She tilted her chin up proudly. “Of course! My daddy is the greatest in the world!”

“Hmph, if your daddy can win another toy for me, then I’ll admit he’s the best daddy in the world!” the chubby boy challenged, his mother caught between laughter and exasperation.

Xixi took it seriously. She clung to Jiang An’s leg and pleaded, “Daddy, win one for him too, then you’ll really be the best daddy in the world!”

So the title of “World’s Best Daddy” depended on these two little rascals’ say-so? Jiang An was amused by their innocent logic. “Alright, alright, one more try.”

A few seconds later, another toy landed in the chute. Xixi was overjoyed, grabbed the prize, and handed it to the chubby boy, hands on her hips. “Now do you believe it? Isn’t my daddy the best in the world?”

“Of course he is!” With the toy in hand, the little boy kept his promise.

His mother flicked his forehead and said to Jiang An, “You won the toy, we can’t accept it.”

“It’s fine, just a little toy. One for each of them—besides, didn’t I gain something too?” Jiang An replied with a smile.

“Thank you very much, then.”

On the way home, Xixi was still bubbling with excitement, chattering about everything she’d just done. She repeated herself over and over, but Jiang An didn’t mind, nodding along as he drove.

“Xixi, how about Daddy takes you to see where I live now?”

“Okay, but Daddy, aren’t you going to live with me and Mommy?”

“We will, but that depends on your mother.”

“Why?” Xixi didn’t quite understand.

“Because Mommy’s still a little upset with Daddy. So you have to help Daddy say nice things to her. Once she’s not angry anymore, Daddy can live with you.”

Xixi nodded, half-understanding, and smiled. “I will! I’ll say nice things to Mommy so she’ll be happy. But Daddy, why weren’t you good? Why did you make Mommy mad?”

“Uh…”

“And when Mommy’s mad at you, does she smack your hand?”

“Uh…”

At last, Jiang An got a taste of what it meant to be bombarded by a child’s endless questions.

Mingde Residential Complex.

As soon as they opened the door, Jiang An led Xixi inside.

“So this is where you live, Daddy? It’s not pretty.”

Xixi surveyed the cold, sparse decor and made her blunt judgment without hesitation.

Before Jiang An could respond, a series of footsteps sounded, and, as usual, Tiger bounded over to greet his master. But this time, Xixi’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“A doggy! A real doggy!”

Xixi opened her arms to catch the leaping Tiger, nearly knocked over in the process, but laughing with pure joy.

“Tiger, from now on, this is your little mistress. Treat her as well as you treat me, understand?” Jiang An instructed.

Tiger seemed to understand, immediately showing his devotion by licking the back of Xixi’s hand affectionately. Xixi was too busy playing with the dog to pay her father any mind.

Jiang An was secretly relieved—thank goodness Tiger was a spiritual dog and didn’t have any bad habits… In any case, it was good for Xixi to have a companion. Jiang An knew himself well: apart from Xixi, he probably wouldn’t have more children. It wasn’t that he was incapable, but rather, it was the law of nature: the stronger and more powerful the being, the harder it was to reproduce. Mice and cockroaches had litters, but dragons and qilin were another story—one misstep and their entire line could go extinct. Now that Jiang An had reached the rank of Sage, having many children was nearly impossible. Still, he might find a way to have a son in the future.

Night fell.

After making a phone call, Song Wanshuang grew a little anxious, checking her makeup in the mirror as she waited in the living room, worried about every tiny imperfection.

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and was greeted by a comical sight: Jiang An carrying Xixi, Xixi holding a puppy, all three pairs of eyes gazing at her.

“Mama, I’m home with Daddy! And this is Little Tiger, Daddy’s puppy, and now he’s mine too!” Xixi rushed to explain, mainly afraid her mother wouldn’t let her keep the dog.

As expected, seeing her mother hesitate, Xixi quickly squeezed her father’s hand in secret.

“Ahem, yes,” Jiang An said solemnly, “this dog is named Tiger, or Little Tiger. He’s very clever, and from now on, he’ll be our daughter’s playmate. Tiger, this is your mistress, greet her.”

Woof woof!

Tiger, nestled in Xixi’s arms, pawed the air in greeting and barked cheerfully, exuding a rare intelligence. No wonder Xixi was so smitten.

“Alright, we’ll keep him. Come in quickly, the food is getting cold,” Song Wanshuang said, finally relenting. Xixi happily set the dog down and led him inside. Jiang An entered, and with a flourish of his right hand, a rose appeared as if by magic. Smiling, he offered it to her. “My lady, this is for you.”

“Who’s your lady? Shameless!” Song Wanshuang rolled her eyes, but she accepted the flower happily. “Where’d you learn that little magic trick—been practicing to flirt with girls?”

“I swear, this is my first time!” Jiang An protested with a comically pained expression.

Song Wanshuang sniffed, bent down to fetch him some slippers. From Jiang An’s vantage point, her slender waist and shapely curves formed a tantalizing silhouette—enough to make any man’s blood run hot.

Feeling his heated gaze, Song Wanshuang was both embarrassed and pleased, but she didn’t let it show. “What are you standing there for? Come in!”

Jiang An chuckled, changed his shoes, and stepped inside, where he saw a middle-aged woman, Aunt Xue, arranging the dishes.

Evidently, Song Wanshuang had already told her about Jiang An. Aunt Xue showed no surprise, only warmth and delight. “You’re here, sir. Now this house will be lively.”

“Brother An, this is Aunt Xue—she used to work for my family and now takes care of me, especially Xixi. Without her, I wouldn’t know what to do,” Wanshuang explained.

Hearing the emotion in her words, Jiang An realized she must have been through a lot, especially given her mysterious background. Judging by Aunt Xue’s role, this was something only old, aristocratic families still maintained.

But however strange her story, could it be stranger than his own? Jiang An smiled. “Hello, Aunt Xue. This is our second meeting. Thank you for looking after them. From now on, you can rest easy—this home is under my protection.”

“That’s good. As for the rest of the family—” Aunt Xue began, but when Song Wanshuang gave her a sharp look, she quickly changed the subject. “Come, sit. The food will get cold.”

Jiang An caught the hint but didn’t pursue it further. Still, he thought to himself: so someone’s been bullying my wife and daughter? They’d better not cross my path!

The three of them sat down to eat. Aunt Xue, claiming she’d already eaten, withdrew to her room. Little Xixi happily fed Tiger at the table—poor dog, after eating kibble for so long with Jiang An, had never tasted such delicious food and gobbled up every bite its young mistress offered.

Jiang An chatted with Song Wanshuang as they ate.

“Brother An, what are you doing for work these days?”

“Me? I’m a doctor now, working at Dongda Affiliated Hospital, and I sometimes teach at Dongda Medical School. I do a bit of other work on the side, too,” Jiang An replied without hesitation. In truth, he rarely went to work even once a week, but that sounded much better than admitting his real job was as Lin City’s most notorious underworld boss.

“You’re a doctor? And you even teach at Dongda? But didn’t you major in literature there?” Song Wanshuang exclaimed in surprise.

“Life is unpredictable. But enough about me—you, in just a few years, have started a company and become a multimillionaire. That’s impressive.”

She just sighed deeply.